Celebrated trumpet player Terell Stafford performed with his quintet on Sunday, Oct. 30 at Murry’s. Stafford played two distinct sets alongside pianist Bruce Barth, bassist Sam Harris, drummer Johnathon Blake and saxophonist Tim Warfield Jr. The performance was hosted by the “We Always Swing” Jazz Series.
Stafford is the director of jazz studies and chair of instrumental studies for Boyer College at Temple University and managing director of the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia. Stafford has played alongside greats like Bobby Watson, Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Barron and McCoy Tyner, among others. He won a Grammy in 2009 for his work on “Monday Night Live at the Village Vanguard” and has been nominated for six additional Grammys.
Stafford put on two distinct shows at Murry’s, one at 3:30 p.m. and another at 7:00 p.m. The first show was relaxed with the quintet playing primarily medium-swing charts. The lyrical improvisation from the frontline was throughout. Soloists used space within their solos to make every improvised line stand out. This clean performance almost sounded like listening to a completely cut album and was perfect for an afternoon show.
The evening show started out high energy with a rendition of “Trapped.” The opening song featured an extended solo by the band’s saxophonist, which set the tone for the show. Warfield’s solo was very fast and modern; the open space in the solo section was removed for extended runs and altissimo. Near the halfway point, the band broke into an airy ballad featuring Stafford on Flugelhorn and Barth on piano.
Photo by Sterling Sewell | Terell Stafford plays Flugelhorn with Johnathon Blake watching from the drum set on Sunday, Oct. 30.
The evening show employed more rhythm section players, including Blake, whose extended drum solos were featured throughout the show. Barth, on piano, noticeably kept the frontline engaged during their solos by altering chords. Harris was featured on several solos and moved deftly along the range of the upright bass with ease. The extreme changes between the two shows were a testament to the versatility of the players.
Stafford has a way of weaving wordless lyrics and melodic improvisation through his solos. He plays very much within the concise style of harp-bop trumpet players from the ‘50s and ‘60s. Stafford said this style could be attributed to his being originally trained as a classical trumpeter. He only started playing jazz later while getting his master’s degree at Rutgers.
“When I wanted to learn jazz at such a late time in my life, I just wanted to listen to things that I loved,” Stafford said. “And when I heard Clifford, and when I heard Freddie Hubbard, when I heard Donald Byrd or Woody Shaw, I was really attracted to that style of play.”
Stafford also played in McCoy Tyner’s Latin All-Star Band and plays regularly with the modern Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.
“I love modern. I love Latin music. I love it all,” Stafford said.
Both of the quintet’s shows heavily featured songs composed or made famous by Lee Morgan. Among the featured songs were “Mr. Kenyatta,” “Speedball,” “Favor” and “Yes I Can, No You Can’t.” Stafford has released many of these songs on an album entitled “Brotherlee Love,” which is in tribute to Lee Morgan. The show at Murry’s was part of a larger tour for this album.
Learning how to conceive a great set list is something Stafford attributes to his long-time friend and mentor Bobby Watson. Watson is a Kansas City jazz legend and is one of the foremost saxophone players in the nation. Stafford met Watson while playing in his band, Horizon.
“Bobby gave me so much advice, he’s really my hero,” Stafford said.
Stafford recalled being asked by Watson to create a set list for a show that went poorly because Stafford had only picked songs he liked. Stafford said learning to put a set list together was the biggest lesson anyone could ever teach.
“Sometimes you have to pick tunes that meld well together, and tunes that can pull in an audience, and tunes that the band can excel on,” Stafford said. “[Watson] just taught me so much about how to be a good person.”
Watson taught Stafford what to look for in bandmates. Stafford recalled asking him why, out of all the musicians in New York, he had picked him. Watson had said Stafford was a nice guy, that he was easy to work with and that those were traits that leaders should look for in players.
Stafford used these criteria when picking the players in his quintet. Stafford and Harris met while Harris was still a student at Temple University. Barth and Stafford have known each other for a long time, and Barth has been featured on multiple albums with Stafford. Stafford said he knew Blake would do great things since Blake was in high school. During the show, Stafford said Warfield was the one that “taught him to swing.”
“As soon as we met we became instant friends,” Stafford said in reference to Warfield. “He started to invite me over, and he had a bunch of records and a bunch of recordings. So, that was my weekend, hanging out, learning from Tim Warfield and going out, playing different clubs. It was an incredible experience.”
Having mentors is a key part of learning music. Both Warfield and Watson have helped Stafford throughout his career. Stafford himself is an instructor at Boyer College and mentors students for a living. His advice to students is to play what they love.
“Do what you love. When you do what you love there is always honesty and clarity to what you do,” Stafford said. “If you can’t be honest and clear, then it’s hard to express yourself, your heart, your mind, your body, your soul, and that should be the goal of every young person as they are aspiring to do what they do.”
Stafford will soon be releasing a new album entitled “Between Two Worlds.” He said it is a personal album that will include songs inspired by his family and experiences during the pandemic.
Edited by Egan Ward | eward@themaneater.comCopy edited by Lauren Courtney and Emily Rutledge